SINGAPORE — Singapore’s founding father’s home is now in possession of the government, officials said today, ending a close to decade-long family dispute over the property.

The acquisition marks a significant conclusion to the bitter rivalry that has gripped the city-state since Lee Kuan Yew’s death in 2015.

Two years after Lee’s death, his children publicly clashed over whether the eight bedroom, two-storey bungalow in the heart of Singapore’s shopping district should be preserved or torn down.

In a joint statement the Singapore Land Authority and the National Heritage Board said today that the government “took possession of the site... to preserve it in keeping with its historic significance and national importance”.

The heritage board “will undertake a detailed study of the site and the options for how it can be developed into a public space in a manner that respects Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s wishes for privacy,” they added.

Lee, who was credited with transforming the Southeast Asian island into a wealthy city-state in just a little over 30 years, started living at the property in the mid-1940s until his death.